Don't send me roses

I wandered out into the yard. She had been sitting on the porch not long ago...

"Katie, where are you?" Ah, the garden. It was walled, cut off from the world by ivy-coated stone. The effect was a peaceful sanctuary from life, undisturbed by noise from outside... I opened the gate.

The roses were looking especially beautiful. Blood-red, full of life. I knelt to smell one, and for some reason, it reminded me of Katie. Odd, because she never wore perfume.

As I enjoyed the sweet scent, I noticed something strange hanging on a branch of the rosebush. It was a round fruit, the same colour as the roses. I reached out, and as I brushed my fingers across it gently, it fell into my hand. It was smooth and fuzzy, like a peach. I smelled it. Rose. Katie.

I wondered why I'd never heard about rosebushes producing fruit. I didn't think it was too odd, though -- I just don't know much about that kind of thing. Holding the fruit in my hand was driving me crazy wondering what roses would taste like, so I took a bite. It was sweet, like the smell, but also salty, with an odd metallic undertone. I thought that the flavour was familiar, but I couldn't remember where from.

The fruit was deep red inside. I licked the thick juice from my fingers, savouring the peculiar taste. Odd... I just couldn't put my finger on what it was like. I took another bite, and it was better than the first. I continued to eat, enjoying each mouthful more and more. Why had I never heard of rose fruit before? It was fantastic. I couldn't think of anything but its taste.

Suddenly, my teeth struck something hard. Must be the pit, I thought. I wondered if I could plant it and grow more rosebushes. Then, I realised that the hard object was metal. I bit it, and tugged it out of the fruit with my teeth.

I looked down the ring in shock. How had it gotten there? It had been on her finger half an hour ago. Suddenly I noticed white below the branches of the bush. I looked more closely. Human bones. The ring, the bones... suddenly, I remembered what the fruit tasted like. I froze.

I was startled out of my state of shock when I felt something pressing into my arm. A huge rose thorn, wickedly pointed, pressed into my flesh. Why hadn't I noticed before that the branch was stained blood-red...